Akron Art Library

Timothy Callaghan, La Grange, 2016 - Gauche on paper

About the Artist

Artist Timothy Callaghan looks to create a sense of place in his work. Born and raised in Toledo and its surrounding suburbs, this painting is part of a series that Callaghan created in 2016 documenting the area. In this image, Callaghan depicts a building that he briefly lived in. “I paint all kinds of things… places around my neighborhood or even my backyard. I don’t find it banal because when we look at something for a long time, it changes and we begin to see it differently. I suppose that’s what attracted me to painting in the first place. The paintings, they are about me looking at my immediate surroundings; the places, people, and things I see every day,” remarks Callaghan.

Callaghan begins his work by creating small studies en plein air, or on site, in a sketchbook, then working from photography and memory as he completes the final work in his studio. He currently teaches painting and drawing at Lake Ridge Academy in North Ridgeville and calls Cleveland home.

Interested in learning more about Callaghan’s technique or testing it out yourself? Check out his book One Painting A Day: A 6-Week Course in Observational Painting—Creating Extraordinary Paintings from Everyday Experiences. Learn more about Timothy Callaghan and his work at: timothycallaghan.com